Charles Leon Anxionnaz was born in Paris, France on August 5, 1826. He came to the United
States in 1856 and in 1859 married Maried Angelique Frezat (1829-1882) in Kansas City,
Missouri. The couple moved to Colorado where their first child, Charles, Jr., was born on
April 17, 1863 and moved on to Montana Territory the following year. They first settled in
the Gallatin Valley where their second child, Louise, was born in 1865. About this time
Charles Leon Anxionnaz legally changed his family name to "Anceney.." Anceny and his son
established a cattle ranch they named "Meadow Brook" near the Gallatin County community of
Hamilton, but after it failed the family moved on to land closer to the Madison River in
1893. This ranch eventually became known as the Flying D. Charles L. Anceney died on October
17, 1895 following an accident with his horse.

The Charles L. Anceney letters consist of two messages sent by Anceney to Edward John
Carter in Helena, Montana. The first, from Hamilton, May 20, 1888, concerns the trip of
Charles L. Anceney, Jr. to meet with Carter and Helena banker Thomas Cruse regarding
mortgage notes and the health of a relative named "Aline." The second letter, dated
Moreland, January 12, 1890, reports on the condition of cattle at the Anceney holdings and
the availability of feed for their maintenance.

This collection is open for research.

Two original letters written by Charles Anceney were donated to Montana State University by
Merrill G. Burlingame, Bozeman, Montana, in the summer of 1970.